Tongs-operating mechanism.



110.729.251. l PATBN'rBn/MAY 26, 19.03. H. AIKEN. f ToNGs OPERATING MBGHANISM.

APPLIOATIO'N rILn'D Dna. s. 1902. l 1ro MODEL. .e sums-SHEET a.

WITNESSES INVENTOR ai? I Y #Mm TH: wams PETERS co. PHOTO-nwo., wAsHlNsmu. nrc.

191,729,251. PATBNTBD'MAY 26,1903.

H. AIKBN.

TONGS UPERATING MECHANISM.

Arynlonlolrnnn Dnc. s, 1902.

.1 0 KODEL. y 8 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WITNESSES PATENTED MAY 26, 1.903.

H. A'IKBN. ToNGs OPERATING MEGHANISM.

y APPLICATION FILED DBO. 8, 1902.`

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

' ,F0 MODEL.

WITNEBSES UNITED Patented Vay 26, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE. l

TONGS-OPERATING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION lforming part of Letters Patent No. 729,251, dated May 2G, 1903.

To all w t 't may concern:

Be it known that ,HENRY AIKEN, of Pitts burg, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, have invented a-new and useful Tongs-Operating .Mechanism, of which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speeicatiomin which- Figure 1 is a sectionalv side elevation ofv tongs provided with my improved operating mechanism. Fig. 2 is a front elevatiomo'n a larger scale, showing the trolley of a charging-crane provided with my mechanism. Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the trolley. Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line IV IV of Fig: 1', the parts being shown on a larger scale. Fig.

5 is a broken side elevation showing the driv-4 ing connections and the lower bearings. Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional side elevations showing the tongs and the movable head car` rying the mechanism for operating them;

and Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional View of a fric- -tion-clutch, which I preferably employ.

My invention relates to the tongs employed in steel-mills, and is designed to provide simple and efficient mechanism for raising and lowering and vturning them, especially such -as are used for handling ingots in vertical soaking-pits, which are known as drawing and charging pit cranes. Y

In the drawings vI show atrolley 2, having wheels 3, movable upon tracks 4, carried on crane-girders 5, these girders forming part of an ordinary overhead traveling crane. The longitudinal travel of the overhead crane and the transverse travel of the trolley bring the tongs to any desired point in the space covered in the usual manner. Depending from the trolley is a stili' `vertical .guide-frame 6,

-Which is rigidly attached to the trolley-frame and contains upper and lowerlbearings 'Zand v-8 for a pair of vertical squaredshafts 9 and Application filed December 8, 1902. Serial No. 134,240. (No model.)

on aV wire rope V15, secured to the hoistingdrum. This drum is connected, by suitable gear-wheel 16, pinion V17, shaft 18, gear-wheel 19, having friction-clutch connection with shaft 1S, pinion 20, shaft 2l, toothed wheel 22, and pinion 23, with an electric motor 24 and brake25, operated bysolenoid 26. The motor-24j act-s to raise and lower the tongs mechanism vertically Within the guide-frame and gives this' movement with considerable rapidity. The operator is therefore liable to injure the moving parts by raising or lowering the tongs beyond the extreme point of its movement, and to prevent injury from such cause I employ the friction-clutch connection at some point in the train of driving connections, so that in case either of overload or of the operator failing to stop the tongs at the proper limit of stroke either top or bottom this frictionfclutch connection will slip and allow the driving connection to rotate without moving the tongs mechanism. I preferably attain this result by means of a disk or wh eel which is frictionally h eld by means ofsp'rings between the friction faces of two disks or wheels on opposite sides thereof. By adjusting the spring-tensionV the point at which the slip will occur may be regulated to get the desired result.

The head or vertically-movable frame 11 is circular in form, containinga central squared shaft 27, passing through a square hole in the hub 28 of a gear-wheel 29. The hub 28 rests within a bearing in the lower head 30 of the frame, and loosely surrounding the upper Apart of the hub is a duplex cam-wheel 31,

formed integrally with a gear-Wheel 32. Between the cam-wheel 30 and the wheel 29 is placed. an annular friction disk 33, upon vwhich the cam-wheel rests, an oiler 34 being tate the cam-wheel and open or close the tongs, I provide a pinion 38, which is car- TOO ried upon the squared shaft 10, and to turn the tongs I provide a pinion 39 upon the squared shaft 9, which pinion engages the teeth of the wheel 29. The shaft 10 is connected at its upper end by bevel-gearingV 40 with a horizontal shaft 41 on the trolley,

which is connected by slow-motion gearing 42 with an electric motor 43. The shaft 9 is similarly driven through bevel-gear 44 and slow-motion gearing 45 from motor 46. The motors 43 and 46 are provided with brakes 47, controlled by solenoids 48.

The shaft 27 extendsdownwardly through a tubular support 49, secured to the lower head 30 of the frame 11, and on the lower end of this support is supported a frame 50, containing on opposite sides the bearings 51 for the tong-levers 52. These levers cross each other in the form shown, their crossingarms 53 being connected by links 54 with a cross-head 55, loosely surrounding the lower end of the tubular shaft 49 and carried on collar 49 rigid with the tube. It is evident that with this arrangement the raising and lowering of the shaft 27 will open or close the tongs. The tongs are raised and lowered by raising and lowering the frame 1I through the chains leading over the hoisting-drum, and the tongs are turned or rotated by actuating the squared shaft 10, which acts upon the wheel 29, having a square hole in its hub through which the squared shaft 27 extends.

The advantages of my invention result from the simplicity and eiectiveness of the apparatus. The hoisting-drum provides a rapidly-operating means for raising and lowering the tongs, while means are provided for turning and for opening and closing the tongs, which means can be easily operated from the trolley. The movements are positive and under control, while injury from excess vertical movement is avoided.

Many variations may be made in the form and arrangement of the parts without departing from my invention.'

I claim- 1. In tongs-operating mechanism, a movable trolley having a hoisting-drum, gripping mechanism supported on a flexible connection leading to the winding-drum, mechanism for turning the gripping mechanism relatively to the trolley, and a rotary element connected to the tongs and arranged to open and close them by its rotation; substantially as described.

2. In tongs-operating mechanism, a movable trolley having a hoisting-drum, a vertically-movable frame supported from said drum and having a depending member carrying the tongs, mechanism on the trolley for turning the tongs, and a rotary element connected to the tongs and arranged to open and close them by its rotation; substantially as described.

3. In tongs-operating mechanism, a movable trolley having a hoisting-drum, a gripping mechanism supported on a flexible connection'leading to the winding-drum, a vertical shaft on the trolley arranged to turn the tongs at any level to which they are moved, and a rotary element arranged to open and close the tongs by its rotation; substantially as described.

4. In tongs-operating mechanism, a movable trolley having a hoisting-drum, a vertically movable frame supported from said drum and having a depending member carrying the tongs, and shafts having connections arranged to rotate to open and close the tongs respectively, and a rotary element arranged to actuate the tongs-actuatin g shaft by its rotation; substantially as described.

5. In tongs-operating mechanism, a trolley,

a hoisting-drum thereon arranged to support and raise and lower a vertically movable frame, tongs supported by said frame, anda rotary element on the frame arranged to open and close the tongs by its rotation; substantially as described.

6. In tongs-operating apparatus, a trolley having a hoisting drum and a depending guide-frame, a vertically-movable supporting-frame carried by the drum and guided by the depending frame, said frame having a depending member carrying the tongs, a rotary element on the carrying-frame arranged to open and close the tongs by its rotation, and another rotary element on said frame arranged to turn the tongs; substantially as described.

7. In tongs-operating apparatus, a trolley having a hoisting-drum, a depending guideframe supported on the trolley, a verticallymovable carrying-frame guided by the guideframe and having ileXible connections leading to the drum on the trolley, depending tongs supported by the carrying-frame, a rotary element on said frame arranged to open and close the tongs by its rotation, and another rotary element on said frame arranged to rotate the tongs; substantially as described.

8. In tongs-operating apparatus, ahoistingdrum, a vertically-movable frame supported and raised and lowered thereby, depending tongs supported by said frame, a verticallymovable rod or shaft arranged to actuate the tongs, and a rotary cam device on the frame arranged to raise and lower said actuatingshaft; substantially as described.

9. In tongs-operating apparatus, a trolley having a hoisting-drum, a depending guideframe supported therefrom, a vertically-movable carrying-frame guided thereby, depending tongs supported upon said carrying-frame, a vertically-movable operating-bar arranged to open and close the tongs, a rotary cam device on the carrying-frame arranged to raise and lower the bar, and mechanism on the carrying-frame arranged to rotate the bar to turn the tongs; substantially as described.

10. In tongs-operating apparatus, a trolley having a hoisting-drum, a depending carrying-frame supported by a ilexible connection IOO IIO

from the drum, a depending guide-frame carried by the trolley and arranged to guide the carrying-frame, depending tongs supported upon the carrying-frame, a rotary cam device on the carrying-frame having connections arranged to open and close the tongs,

and a toothed Wheel in the carrying-frameA sliding over an actuating-shaft'mounted in xed bearings in the guide-frame; substantially as described.

11. In tongs-operating apparatus, a trolley, a hoisting-drum thereon, a vertically-movable frame supported by a flexible connection to the drum, tongs supported by said frame, mechanism on the frame for opening and closing said tongs, a rotary element arranged to open and close the tongs by its rotation, and a depending guide-frame for said carrying-frame; substantially as described.

12. In tongs-operating apparatus,a vertically-movable carrying-f ram e, tongs supported thereby, mechanism on said frame for opening and closing the tongs, flexible connections leading from the frame to a hoisting-drum, and an ractuating-motor having a slip-motion connection with the drum; substantially as described.

13. In tongs-operating apparatus, a trolley having a depending guideframe, a vertically-movable frame or head guided thereby and having flexible connections leading to a hoisting-drum on the trolley, depending tongs supported from said carrying-frame, a rotary cam device on said carrying-frame having connections arranged to open and close the tongs, and mechanism on the trolley for acl5. In tongs-operating mechanism a hollow vertical post carrying the tongs, a rod or bar extending within the post and vertically movable to open and close the tongs, and cam mechanism for raising and lowering the rod or bar; substantially as described.

16. In tongs-operating mechanism a hollow vertical post carrying the tongs, a rod or bar extending within the post and vertically movable to open and close the tongs, cam mechy anism for raising and lowering the rod or bar, and mechanism for turning said central bar to turn the tongs; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HENRY AIKEN. l Witnesses:

L. M. REDMAN, Y H. M. CoRwrN. 

